While Marigold wasn't entirely sure as to what precisely she would do with a dragon, she had fallen in love with the young creature when she had found it.  The poor creature had been part of some manner of travelling circus, and it was something that she could not stand.  All the animals seemed to be underfed and mistreated, but it was the young ice dragon with large, soulful eyes that had called to her the most.  It hadn't been all that hard for her to sneak back into the circus later, and free all the animals.  She had intended to bring them back to Angela's temple… but that hadn't quite gone according to plan.  Most of the animals had scattered, some even attacking the clearly abusive circus crew.

But Marigold had made off with the creature that had caught her attention first, as well as two new friends.  "Hmm, I suppose I'll have to name all three of you, won't I?" she asked them.  The dragon was snoozing near a pool, his belly distended after she had brought him a deer.  The tiger was resting her head on Marigold's thigh and letting out contented growls as the young woman scratched the huge cat behind the ears.  And the raven was preening himself on a rock next to her.  All in all, it was quite the interesting mix of creatures.  "Hmm.  I think you'll be Azar, do you like that?" she asked the tiger.  The great cat nodded, swishing her tail in a calm manner.  Turning her attention to the raven, Marigold thought for a few moments.  "Kiaran, how about that?" she asked the bird, who squawked in agreement. 

Now for the dragon, which would likely be the most difficult.  "And now for you, master dragon," she said.  But the creature surprised her by waking up and glancing in her direction.  It was quite clear he had been listening the whole time.  "I'd thank you to not give me a name, my mother did that already, thank you very much.  It's Anvindr, so you may call me that," the ice dragon said before laying his head back down.  The Rosenite only nodded, her eyes large, and watched the dragon for a few moments.  He was going to be a very interesting pet to have around.

The little girl was curious. There was a new sister about! A woman of golden hair and wondrous eyes. The littlest daughter peered over rocks and trees looking for the newest resident but it still took a while. She held her teddy bear full of black fur and carried him about with her. Her dress shifted with the stars of the night and her red hair was braided.

Finally her bright brown eyes stared at Marigold. Looking to the animals a smile spread across her face. Her bare feet pitter-pattered across the ground to Marigold. "You are really pretty. Your friends are really pretty too." She bounced up and down on the tips of her toes as she held out Winston. "This is Sir Winston he is a mighty knight! He is the best knight ever!"

In her distraction, Marigold hadn't even noticed the child approaching.  But she couldn't jump, not with the tiger resting her weighty head on Marigold's lap.  Azar didn't even seem concerned about the girl and her kitten, only swishing her tail in the grass.  It was clear that she didn't intend to let Marigold go anywhere soon.  A flush came across her face at the compliment from the child, and the young woman smiled.  "Well, thank you, little one.  And hello to you Sir Winston.  He certainly looks brave.  This is Azar, that is Kiaran, the dragon is Anvindr, and I am Marigold.  I think… you are Angela's child?" she asked.  The girl certainly smelled a bit like Angela, and the young woman had been meaning to learn more about the others who lived here.  Just reaching out and being sociable was difficult at times.

two firm hands came to her hips as she stared at Marigold. "I am the GREAT IVA!" She moved her hand up over her as fire came from her hand. "Powerful am I that I make even the goddess shake in her boots!" It was obviously she was just playing as she stared at the woman. "You smell like mommy too! YOU MUST BE THE NEW GIRL SHE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT."

She checked out Azar, Kiaran, and Anvindr before looking back at Marigold happily. "My Mommy told me you were around but she didn't tell me you were so pretty. You have hair like the gold from Baltil." She picked up Winston and showed her a button that had been sewn on. "See? It's the same shade. Melina one of Mama's clergy brought it back for me so I could replace Winston's button."

She held out her hand. "Do you want to see the temple? I'm sure it's easy to get lost but I have five years of experience! Also Fern is going to be so mad when she sees what I did to the wash room so can we move away from here?"

Iva.  The girl's name was familiar.  Though she had mostly kept to herself, Marigold did listen to the chatter of the other residents.  And Iva's name had come up more than a few times.  "I think so.  And thank you.  I like my hair a lot," she said with a laugh.  Being out in the sun and away from danger was a revelation for her, as was a compliment simply for the sake of it.  And not because someone wanted something of her. 

"Hm.  I think I would.  I've seen some parts of it, though I bet you've seen more of it.  What do you think is the best part?" she asked.  Marigold kept stroking Azar's head, wanting the tiger to trust her entirely.  She was a wild creature, and Marigold knew that being her friend was the best thing.  The dragon would be another story entirely.

Iva beamed at the thank you and held Winston close as she thought about what part was her favorite. "My favorite…" She thought about the stained glass bridge and smiled a bit. "Where my daddy is! That's my favorite spot in the whole temple! He listens to me and even though he doesn't answer me I know he loves me and likes Winston too."

She ran over and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you now okay?" She looked at Azar and smiled. "My mommy created it just for daddy." Iva paraded about the room for  a minute with the large bear in her hands before waving Marigold over. "Okay ready?" She took Marigold through the temple and to a set of large mahogany doors. They had pictures etched into it mostly depicting the tree of life and the circle of life and death. Reaching up on the tips of her toes she took the golden ring of one of the doors and pulled on it hard as the heavy door moved. 

Bright rainbow light poured into the hallway as she began to go across the stained glass covered bridge over into an open circular courtyard. "My daddy is here." She ran up to a statue of a man. He had vases with flowers from all different seasons around it. It was clear that Iva spent a large amount of her time there as well from the little picnic tea party set up at the base. There was a spot even for her father.

"He can't talk but he is a good listener." Iva beamed with pride. The roaring sounds of the waterfalls below the circular courtyard filled the silence. There were no birds and the only tree was a large red maple that had eerie purple flowers that grew from it. They looked a lot like lilies but the purple was nothing the overworld ever had in it.

"Don't fall off okay? It's a long drop and the fence only helps a bit!" Her words were wise as only a little fence separated the courtyard from the massive fall into the abyss of Angela's world.

Following the child, Marigold was pleased when Azar padded after her without being asked.  Her raven decided to head for a tree to roost, and she made her way in silence to see just where they were being led.  She had seen those doors, though Marigold had yet to set foot through them.  It somehow hadn't felt just right at the time.  But now with young Iva, she found that she wanted to see what was beyond those doors.  And the bridge was a place of beauty, she had never seen so many colors of glass in one place. 

But following Iva, she felt her wonder turn into a somber respect of sorts, she could clearly guess at what had happened.  There were questions crowding into her mind now, but Marigold wasn't sure if the child would be able to answer them.  "I see that…  It looks like you come here quite a bit.  I don't think I've ever seen a tree like that," she said, moving to examine the tree.  It was also her way of avoiding the uncomfortable questions on the tip of her tongue.